Nintendo Nostalgia #6

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Remembering the good times with Pocky & Rocky on the SNES.

By IGN Staff

As many of you know from my first article, I grew up mostly renting games. It was pretty rare a thing to get a game to actually own. Buying games on my own though really kicked in after graduating high school in 1992 and getting a job. I still didn't have that much money because I had to pay my way through college, but what little I got per week that I could use as I wished I usually sunk into a game or two. Luckily there were many video stores around which were selling off their NES games. Later, the SNES and Genesis died and they made it to the "For Sale" shelves. This was a great time for me, as I haggled many stores into selling me games by the bulk. I was pretty good at saving money up for my big game buys and equally serious in my intentions to get good deals.

During one of my shopping days, I ran across a game that to this day I am very thankful I picked up. My purchase of it was purely based off the box art and description but rarely had I been burned with my sixth sense of picking games so I risked it. The game cost me a little more than I usually paid, at around ten dollars total. It proved to me later to be one of the most engrossing two player shooters on the SNES that I would play. The game was called Pocky & Rocky.

The Good & the Great

Pocky & Rocky wasn't your typical shooter. At the time, and still today, it contains some of the best 2D graphics I've ever seen. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but truly this is one fine looking game even by today's standards. Rather than dark like Contra 3 it has nice anime graphics. Nicely too, it has an actual story that unfolds through cut scenes as you progress through the game.

Instead of taking a traditional 2D platformer approach or the traditional 2D top down approach but constantly moving in one direction, this game is a little different. First off, its top-down 2D, but rather than straight top down, it's at a slight angle so you see the back of your character when moving up the screen. Just look at the images and I'm sure you'll get a better impression than I can describe. Not only do you move up the screen, but at times move to the left or right as well. The game is arranged more like an adventure than a shooter, however, since this is a shooter pretty much the entire game is shooting while confined to a specific path.

The characters themselves are quite different, have unique weapons, but on the surface ultimately play the same. However, there's no mistaking who is who, as you're either a pretty girl or a pretty big raccoon. Unique to Pocky & Rocky though is the characters have more moves than your typical shooter. Not only do they each have unique projectiles that can be upgraded through power-ups, but there is so much more. Pocky can use her magic stick to attack or deflect other projectiles, while Rocky can do the same with his tail. Both characters also have a "slide" move they can perform as well as use bombs to clear the screen of enemies. There's more to the characters than that as each has a "special move" which can be performed by holding down the fire button for a few seconds. Both characters' special moves are quite different and very useful.

Pocky & Rocky is a blast to play. Like Contra 3 with the difficulty turned up, it's almost too difficult in single player mode. However with a second person along, the game really shines. The sound is great and very appropriate to the events in the game. If it suddenly gets dark and starts raining, the sound affects and visuals are quite appropriate. The overall strategies needed to beat the bosses are much more elaborate than in Contra 3 as well.

The Bad & the Ugly

Despite being truly a magnificent game, there is one major drawback. Frequently the game screen gets filled with your projectiles, enemies, and other moving objects and the game slows down. But as negatives go, that's it. The game's difficulty does ramp up and so does the length of the levels as you progress in the game. It's easy to find each new level lasting twice as long or more than the previous level. I'm not sure if you can consider that a negative or not, but rest assured its no simple challenge.

Why should you care?

Natsume really went a long way to make this masterpiece of a shooter. It requires as much skill and maybe even more brains than all of the classic Contra games. Still, even while learning to play this game it's quite fun. I can't help but like the characters and want to get them to the end of the game. The challenge isn't a pushover and the story is quite good. If you don't make it through a level and die, an animation of your character is shown with wings flying up to heaven. That is just one of the many touches that were put into this game which make it stand above other cookie-cutter shooters.

In Conclusion

In 1992, Natsume brought this game to the US with little to no advertising or hype. As expected, it didn't sell that well. Most stores didn't carry it, and most gamers missed out on one of the best shooters on the SNES unless they risked renting it for an evening. With a friend along for the ride Pocky & Rocky truly is a fun game to play. There is a sequel appropriately named Pocky & Rocky 2, and it's also available on the SNES. From what I've read, the game is a good one. There are more characters to pick from and it's at least as much of a challenge as the first game, however the story isn't that original. As much as I love the first game I'll seriously consider getting the second if it ever crosses my path while I'm classic game shopping.

There is also a new game in the series for the Game Boy Advance called Pocky & Rocky with Becky that has recently come out. Like its forefathers, it landed in the US with little to no hype. Even IGN Pocket has yet to review it. However, everything I've read on is a mixed bag. Some say it's much easier than the past games while others say they love it. Considering it's already bargain priced at $20, it might be worth finding out more before buying it.

This week I'll be hanging out in the Pocky & Rocky Game Board. Feel free to stop by and talk about the game as well as ask any questions you may have.